“I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. Ezekiel 38:21 NKJV
The presence of Russian troops in many of the countries in the Middle East, along with the belief that Gog, does in fact, refer to Russia, has prompted many people to speculate on the possibility that the prophecies which are set to occur just before, and after the rapture of the Church, are about to be fulfilled. I for one, agree with that idea wholeheartedly, and am of the opinion it is going to happen sooner rather than later. As I have studied different prophecies over the years, this conflict as revealed by Ezekiel, has quite often held my attention for a number of reasons.
If you look up the definition of the word war in any dictionary, you will most likely find something along the lines of “an armed conflict between two opposing forces or nations”. Now that sounds fine on the surface, and most would agree that it accurately describes what we have come to know as war, yet I believe that in situations where God is on one side of the two opposing forces, history shows this might not be an entirely accurate description of what occurs on the battlefield. Why is that you ask? Look closely at the account in the passage from Ezekiel and tell me what “arms” are used by God to defend His people?
“Every man’s sword will be against his brother.”
As I thought about what we read here, I could not help but wonder exactly how this is going to play out in the eyes of the world when it occurs? You have a massive army of Israel’s enemies led by Gog who descend upon the mountains of Israel, better known as the Golan Heights, with the intent to annihilate and take spoil. Israel will no doubt be preparing to defend itself by moving massive numbers of troops and materiel northward in anticipation of the invasion. The world will be watching with all too many hoping to see Israel finally defeated, when suddenly the entire army of Gog begins to fight against each other!
Now if this sounds a little unbelievable, I can assure you it is not the first time God chooses to use this method to defeat His enemies. In fact, there have been several occasions when God has acted on behalf of Israel in the very same way.
When Israel went to war against the Midianites, led by Gideon, God employed the same “tactic” allowing Israel to be victorious using only three hundred men!
“When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp;” Judges 7:22 NKJV
Later in Israel’s history, when Saul was king, once again God uses the same “sword” to defeat the Philistines.
“Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man’s sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion.” 1 Samuel 14:20 NKJV
Do you begin to see a pattern here? The following passage details another conflict during the reign of King Jehoshaphat in the Old Testament where God chooses to do the fighting for Israel.
“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.‘Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.‘You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.”And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with voices loud and high.So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:“Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.” 2 Chronicles 20:14-23. NKJV
Watching these forces assemble had to be one of the most frightening things Israel had ever seen and yet God simply tells them “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…….You will not need to fight in this battle.” You have to wonder what went through King Jehoshaphat’s mind, as well as the rest of the nation of Judah when they heard these words.
As I thought this week about God’s sword being a method of confusion causing His enemies to fight against each other, my first thought was exactly how could the “media” today put a spin on this when it happens in Israel? A new biological weapon engineered by Israel which causes “hallucinations and paranoia” when released above the battlefield? If you think about it, do you really believe the world would admit “God” actually exists and is defending Israel? Obviously that thought has already occurred to God because He goes on to make it clear that the entire world will know exactly who is making this all happen.
“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, ‘so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ “I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. “And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ Ezekiel 38:18-23 NKJV
No one knows when the rapture of the Church will occur, but it certainly seems obvious from this account in Ezekiel that God has a plan to reveal Himself in such a way as to remove anyone’s claim that they did not know He exists, and that it is incumbent for mankind to make a choice to believe or not believe. Seen in that light, it seems clear that all those left behind will be faced with making a choice to accept or reject what God will reveal to them on the day of His deliverance of Israel from Gog and his armies. I have no doubt that the world will come up with some sort of explanation for the events described in this passage of scripture, but even if it does make some sort of sense and the media does its best to propagate it, we are told by God Himself that the world will know the truth.
My personal conviction is that this event will occur after the rapture of the Church as the removal of millions of people produces the confusion, chaos, and political upheaval necessary for Israels’ enemies to decide to attack. As so many believe this day is approaching, and the day of our deliverance is imminent, have you made your choice yet? If you are reading this today and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do it right now. Simply admit to God that you need His forgiveness because you are a sinner, believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, and invite Him to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit by praying a simple prayer like this;
Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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